Page 56 of Love & Heart Braking

But it wasn’t until the heaviness of my orgasm started to recede that I could open my eyes.

I switched off the vibrator and sat.

“Oh—” My eyes widened.

Devereaux stood pressed against the half-toppled bookshelf. I stared at the chandelier on the floor.

Ornaments and books littered the floor.

My mouth dropped. “How did I miss all that?”

Devereaux’s heated gaze didn’t leave me as he pushed the bookshelf upright. “You were preoccupied.”

I flushed under his regard. “I really was.” I hadn’t orgasmed that hard in a long, long time. “Thanks for helping out.”

“Happy to volunteer any time.”

The ringing of the phone made both of us jump.

“Shoot, that’ll be one of my neighbors.” They’d be checking on me after the crashes. I leaped up and grabbed the handset. “Hello?”

“Miss Concordia,” a chilling voice swept down the line.

I looked at Devereaux, who was watching me.

“Who is this?” I asked. The voice was feminine.

“A Plorex. You’ve been summoned by the twelve. The carriage is outside.”

“Is this to see the daemon?”

The line went dead.

12

The carriage rattled down the cobbled road. My ass was getting used to these cushioned seats. How would I ever go back to the peasant hire carriage life?

“So, Miss Plorex,” I shoved my hands into the pockets of my winter coat, “where are we headed?”

The rapidness of my heartbeat pushed away the scratchiness in my eyes from the late—or early—hour, and I palmed the beeper in my pocket. Devereaux didn’t find it easy to let me leave or to promise not to follow. But the alliance had a lot riding on this. In the end, I’d sworn to squeeze the beeper at the first sign of trouble tonight, but he would wrestle with his predator every second I was away with the twelve.

The woman, who hadn’t given me her first name, ignored my question.

“Do you get overtime for this?” I asked next.

No answer.

I blew out a breath and looked out the window. We were rolling into unchartered territory, and it was dark, but this estate was easy enough to identify. Huge, bulbed electricity poles dotted the fields either side of the driveway.

The Blums.

Wraiths who owned the electricity in Nepos.

They were aligned with the Hucses, who’d used the Blums’ “soiree” as their alibi for the break-in at Yearning Hearts.

The carriage stopped.

She shot me a glare. “Wait here.”

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